18–19 August 2026 | Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA)

What happens when young learners, teachers and future engineers are brought together through one common conversation about technology, artificial intelligence and the future?

Over two days on 18 and 19 August 2026, UMPSA became a meeting point for 240 participants, bringing together secondary school students, teachers and undergraduate engineering students through a programme jointly shaped by Project DiME and PIE-WiSE.

The programme was more than a series of talks and workshops. It represented an important dimension of the growing collaboration between UMPSA, Cardiff Metropolitan University, the British Council and TalentCorp Malaysia—connecting international expertise, Malaysian diaspora talent, local educators and the next generation of technology users and creators.

At the heart of the programme was a simple idea:

AI education should not only teach people how to use technology. It should empower them to understand, question, create and shape the technologies of the future.

Day 1: Starting with the Hands-On Experience

Raspberry Pi Programming 2026/7 – SBP InSTAR

The first day began with 35 students from SBPI Pekan, who participated in a hands-on Digital Making with Raspberry Pi Sensor Node workshop.

Rather than beginning with abstract discussions about artificial intelligence, the students started with something they could see, touch and build.

Through the Digital Making session, the students were introduced to the fundamentals of Python programming, embedded systems and electronics, using the LilEx Sensor Node as a platform for learning.

The experience demonstrated how physical computing can provide an accessible pathway into more advanced areas of technology.

Students were not simply learning about a sensor or writing a few lines of code. They were beginning to understand the relationship between:

Code → Electronics → Sensors → Data → Intelligent Systems

This hands-on foundation is increasingly important as AI becomes embedded into everyday technologies.

The workshop was followed by an inspiring session by Prof. Dr. Esyin Chew, titled “Dreaming Beyond Borders: Inspiring the Next Generation of AI Innovators.”

Drawing from her extensive experience in the United Kingdom and her work at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Prof. Esyin encouraged students to think beyond geographical and conventional boundaries.

Her message was particularly meaningful within the context of the Malaysian diaspora engagement initiative.

Through Project DiME and TalentCorp Malaysia’s myHeart initiative, Malaysian expertise from around the world can be connected back to local communities—not simply through knowledge transfer, but through inspiration, mentorship, collaboration and new opportunities.

For these young students, the session provided a glimpse of what their future could look like if they were willing to dream beyond what is immediately familiar to them.

Learning Smarter with AI

Project DiME and PIE WiSE – Day 2 Photos

The afternoon continued with Dr. Hiew Fui Chin, who presented “Learning Smarter with AI: Preparing for the Future.”

Her session shifted the conversation from building technology to learning with technology.

Students were encouraged to consider how AI is changing the way people learn, work and solve problems. More importantly, AI was positioned not as a replacement for human learning, but as a technology that can support curiosity, exploration and continuous learning.

Together, the three components of the afternoon created a powerful progression:

Build with technology → Dream about the future → Learn with AI

The day concluded with students leaving not only with new technical experiences, but also with a broader perspective of what technology could mean for their future.

Day 2: Empowering the Educators

Project DiME and PIE WiSE – Day 2 Photos

If Day 1 focused on inspiring young learners, Day 2 began by focusing on the people who shape those learners every day—the teachers.

The morning session brought together 90 teachers from across Pahang, creating a space for educators to explore the changing role of AI and technology in education.

The programme began with contributions from PPD Pekan and TalentCorp Malaysia, followed by a keynote by Prof. Dr. Esyin Chew titled:

“AI and Technology in Education”

Her session provided an international perspective on the rapid transformation taking place in education and technology.

For Malaysian educators, the conversation was particularly relevant.

The question is no longer simply whether AI should be introduced into education.

The more important questions are:

How should AI be used?

What should students still learn without AI?

How can teachers guide responsible and meaningful AI use?

And how can education prepare students for jobs and technologies that may not yet exist?

These questions formed an important bridge between international experience and the realities of Malaysian classrooms.

AI-Enhanced Pedagogy

Following the keynote, Dr. Hiew Fui Chin delivered:

“AI-Enhanced Pedagogy: Transforming Teaching for the Future Classroom”

The session moved the discussion beyond AI as a technological tool and towards pedagogy.

This distinction is important.

Technology alone does not transform education.

It is the way technology is integrated into teaching, learning, assessment and student engagement that determines its educational value.

For teachers, AI therefore becomes another dimension of the evolving educational environment—one that requires thoughtful integration, critical thinking and an understanding of how students learn.

The morning programme concluded with two sharing sessions featuring local teachers:

• • Zurina binti Mat Abu, SK Tanjung Batu – Best Practices in Mathematics and Science Education
  • Nur Sabila binti Mohamad, SK Pasir Panjang – Best Practices in Linguistics and Language Studies

These sessions brought the discussion back to classroom realities.

The combination of international perspectives, AI-focused pedagogy and local best practices created a valuable exchange between global experience and local practice.

From Teachers to Future Engineers

The afternoon shifted the focus once again—from educators to the next generation of professionals.

The programme brought together 114 undergraduate Electrical and Electronics Engineering students for a series of sessions focused on the future workforce and the changing nature of engineering.

The hybrid session began with TalentCorp Malaysia’s Impact Study of AI, Digital & Green Economy on Malaysian Workforce, highlighting the broader transformation taking place across Malaysia’s economy and employment landscape.

This was followed by another engaging session from Prof. Dr. Esyin Chew:

“Engineering the AI Future: From Robotics to Intelligent Systems”

For engineering students, the topic connected AI with something much closer to their discipline: engineering intelligent systems.

AI is increasingly moving from the computer screen into the physical world.

Robotics, autonomous systems, embedded intelligence, smart sensors and edge computing all require engineers who understand both the physical system and the intelligence operating within it.

This is where engineering education has an important role to play.

The final session by Dr. Hiew Fui Chin, “AI-Enhanced Learning for Future Engineers: Skills Beyond the Classroom,” extended the discussion beyond technical knowledge.

Future engineers will need more than programming languages, circuits or mathematical skills.

They will also need to learn how to:

• • • work effectively with AI;
    • evaluate information critically;
    • solve unfamiliar problems;
    • communicate and collaborate;
    • continue learning throughout their careers; and
    • adapt as technologies evolve.

In this sense, AI is not simply another subject for engineering students to learn.

It is becoming part of how future engineers learn, work and innovate.

Three Communities, One Learning Ecosystem

Across the two days, the programme engaged three distinct communities:

Community	Participants	Focus
Secondary school students	35	Digital Making, Raspberry Pi, Python, embedded systems and AI inspiration
Teachers across Pahang	90	AI, technology in education and AI-enhanced pedagogy
Undergraduate engineering students	114	AI, intelligent systems, future workforce and AI-enhanced learning
Total	239	Building an AI-ready education ecosystem

The significance of the programme lies not only in the number of participants.

It lies in the continuity between the three groups.

The school students represent the next generation of learners.

The teachers shape their learning experiences.

The undergraduate students represent the future engineering workforce.

Together, they form a connected education ecosystem.

From Digital Making to Intelligent Systems

One of the strongest themes emerging from the programme was the connection between hands-on digital making and artificial intelligence.

AI can sometimes appear to students as something distant—a sophisticated technology that happens inside powerful computers or large language models.

But intelligent systems ultimately interact with the physical world.

They sense.

They process.

They communicate.

They make decisions.

This is why hands-on platforms such as the LilEx Sensor Node can provide an important foundation.

Through Digital Making, students begin by understanding sensors, electronics, programming and embedded systems.

From there, they can progress towards:

Embedded Systems → IoT → Data → Edge Computing → Edge AI → Intelligent Systems

The journey does not begin with AI.

It begins with understanding how technology works.

This is particularly relevant to engineering education, where AI should not be separated from the physical systems that engineers design.

Connecting Malaysian Diaspora Expertise with Local Talent

Another important dimension of the programme was the participation of Prof. Dr. Esyin Chew, a Malaysian academic based at Cardiff Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.

Her involvement illustrates the potential of diaspora engagement to create meaningful connections between Malaysian expertise overseas and communities at home.

Through the TalentCorp myHeart initiative and Project DiME, diaspora engagement can move beyond the traditional idea of bringing expertise “back home”.

Instead, it can create a model of continuous knowledge circulation.

Experts can contribute through:

• • • knowledge sharing;
    • mentoring;
    • academic collaboration;
    • curriculum benchmarking;
    • research networking;
    • student engagement; and
    • inspiration for young Malaysians.

For the participants in this programme, Prof. Esyin represented more than an international speaker.

She represented a connection between Malaysia and the wider global technology and education ecosystem.

Her sessions demonstrated how international experience can be brought into local classrooms and communities while creating opportunities for future collaboration.

Building the Future Together

The two-day programme demonstrated that preparing Malaysia for an AI-enabled future requires more than training people to use AI tools.

It requires an ecosystem.

An ecosystem where:

Students learn by making.

Teachers learn how to integrate technology meaningfully.

Engineers learn to build intelligent systems.

Academics connect research with education.

Industry identifies emerging workforce needs.

Diaspora experts share global knowledge and experience.

And importantly, where all these communities learn with and from one another.

This is the spirit behind the collaboration between Project DiME and PIE-WiSE.

The programme connected international academic expertise, Malaysian diaspora engagement, local education communities and engineering education within one shared platform.

Looking Beyond the Two Days

The programme may have concluded on 19 August, but the conversations it started should continue.

For the 35 students from SBPI Pekan, the experience was an introduction to the world of digital making, embedded systems and AI.

For the 90 teachers, it was an opportunity to explore how AI can reshape teaching and learning.

For the 114 engineering students, it was a reminder that their future profession will extend beyond traditional engineering boundaries into intelligent, connected and increasingly AI-enabled systems.

And for the wider UMPSA–Cardiff Metropolitan University–TalentCorp collaboration, it represents another step towards building a sustainable network connecting education, technology, industry and global Malaysian talent.

The future of AI will not be built by one institution, one country or one discipline.

It will be built through people, partnerships and shared knowledge.

From a Raspberry Pi sensor node in a classroom, to intelligent robotic systems, to AI-enabled industries—the journey begins by giving people the opportunity to learn, build, imagine and connect.

From Digital Making to AI.
From Local Talent to Global Connections.
From Learning Today to Engineering Tomorrow.

And perhaps most importantly:

Dream beyond borders. Learn smarter. Build the future together.

Nurul Hazlina, 20 Ogos 2026